Exactly, it's up to the people of Nashville now to save their team. If they don't step up to the plate, I don't see where they can call Balsillie a devil.
Why is all of Canada celebrating????
- Thread starter Gnashville
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Exactly, it's up to the people of Nashville now to save their team. If they don't step up to the plate, I don't see where they can call Balsillie a devil.
The city has the option to buy tickets to the amount needed for the lease aswell. So the people and the city. Winnipeg and Qubec didn't step up so aren't you contradicting yourself by being mad?
So whats the average EBI in those cities since you are the one trying to convince us they can support a team.
Levizk
Registered User
I think you fail to realize the difference in revenues a football team generates in Cleveland as compared to the money the Jets made in Winnipeg. The Browns have probably made enough in the time they've been back in the league to buy the Jets franchise several times over. You're really comparing apples to oranges there. If it's any consolation to you (I'm sure it is judging by your behavior) Cleveland never got their hockey team back, and had it less time than Winnipeg had the Jets.
This isn't so much an issue of being a good Canadian as being a sympathetic human being. You may be excited about the fact that your country is getting another franchise because you have some international inferiority complex, but you don't need to rub that in the faces of Predators fans. When the Expos left Quebec for Washington people didn't go "Yeah we're taking our game back from the Canadians, eat that Quebec!". Most Americans (I'm sure most Canadians too) realize that our countries are big enough that if a sports franchise moves into a city over 200 miles away that it just isn't that big of a deal in our lives. Also for those like yourself who feel that Canada needs to take teams back, well the Predators were never Canada's to begin with so I'm getting sick of hearing that.
Winnipeg did step up, look it up. The economics of Canada and the NHL at the time are a different set of circumstances than today with a salary cap and the Canadian dollar where it is.
Tell me where I'm telling people of Nashville to "eat it". What I'm saying is if the team moves - Canada is the best option. If they save their team, good on them.
You're the one making the arguement that they stepped up it's your responsibility to prove me wrong not just say "look it up". Show me how I'm wrong here cause obviously they didn't step up enough to save their team.
The point was that some people in Vancouver cared about the NBA team moving. As a result your predicament would not be likely to engender much symapthy from such people.
BTW It is a beer commercial - check the link I provided. Check out the word "irony" in a dictionary.
Talk about thin-skinned.
I never noticed any "hillbilly" comments in this thread until you raised the issue.
However what happens if Ballsillie raises ticket prices to average NHL levels?
The number of tickets sold drops and the city would be on the hook for even more makeup tickets at an increased price.
How is Winnipeg or Qubec or Hamilton a better option then KC? 2 mil population, one of the highest EBI's in the country, around 2-3 percent more people between the ages of 24-54 then the rest of hte country (The average age of season ticket holders) Coporate support, a brand new arena big enough to support a team (or is Hamiltons 16,000 seat arena going ot do the trick?) and a population looking for a new franchise (who have stated many times over they would prefer an NHL team.)
Levizk
Registered User
That's without me even having to leave this small thread to go find some of the other posts you've made on the subject.
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"As the NHL expanded in the United States, operating costs and salaries grew rapidly and the Jets were unable to retain their best players. Various schemes were devised to save the team through a tremendous grassroots effort and government funds. Loyal fans raised over $13 million CAD through various fund raising events in their bid to keep the team.[citation needed] In the end, their efforts were not enough. The Winnipeg Jets played their last game on April 28, 1996 - a home playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4-1. The last goal ever scored by a Jet was netted by Norm Maciver. The money that had been raised was later donated to several Winnipeg charities"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg_Jets
First link, it's well known how the people of Winnipeg stepped up to raise money trying to save the team.
And he would become one of the most hated owners in the league rivaling Wirtz. Whats your point? I never said he couldn't get out I said it was up to the city of Nashville to save the team if they really want it.
I never said they didn't raise money did I? I said they didn't step up enough to save their team. Which is obvious since their team isn't in Winnipeg right now. For like you stated financial reasons.
MAROONSRoad
f/k/a Ghost
Winnipeg and Quebec City would have had an extremely difficult time making it through the 1995 to 2004 period. A Canadian dollar as low as 61 cents USD during that period, some owners spending money on players like drunken sailors, and lack of gov't corporate welfare financing of new arenas are the main reasons. Under those conditions no one could be found that wanted to operate a franchise in those cities. The situation has changed on all those points for Winnipeg, albeit its new arena is on the small size and may require expansion at some point.
Regarding the topic of this thread, I don't believe all Canadians are celebrating the potential demise of a franchise but, more likely, some Canadians are excited about the possiblitiy of an additional NHL franchise in Canada.
GHOST
That's not telling anyone to "eat it" or bashing Nashville fans. I'm sure it will suck for them, but no more than it sucked for Canada to lose the Jets and Nordiques. Now if I said "to hell with everyone in Nashville, they don't know hockey and dont deserve a team" - that would be over the line. But nowhere in any thread have I been anywhere near that.
I know it'll suck for the fans in Nashville. If they save their team, good for them. I won't whine that there's a team there. If they don't then I'll continue my stance of moving them to Canada. If that's shoving it in their faces, oh well.
I actually agree with you there, just in case you thought there was no hope of that ever happening ....
Levizk
Registered User
Perhaps I should've bolded the rest of the end where you insinuated that they will feel less pain than Winnipeg and Quebec about losing their team. Just because they're not Canadian fans doesn't mean they don't love their team. That's shoving it in their faces when you make comments like that.
The dynamics of the NHL and Canadian economy at the time didn't allow for the average fan to save their team. It was all about dollars, not that Winnipeg wasn't a viable market. Eleven years later, it's an entirely different situation.
I did insinuate that, because I think it's true. Just like the "pain" Vancouver feels about the loss of the Grizzlies. In a couple years, nobody cares. To this day there is an overwhelming sense of loss about the Jets. If the Predators move, do you really think in 2018 there'll be countless internet sites and rallies in the streets to bring back the Predators?
I understand there are die hard fans in Nashville and I feel for them. But the identity of the city isn't the Nashville Predators, like the Jets are with Winnipeg.
It's just the culture of Canada. For instance I had to pick up a friend at the airport yesterday - and noticed the first thing people see walking into the Edmonton International Airport is a giant billboard sized sign facing them in dark blue saying "You're in Oil Country" with the Oilers logo. I even laughed to myself how this city's identity is so intertwined with hockey that people see that before any mention of "Welcome to Edmonton".
Or one of the most beloved owners by bringing a team back to Canada???
Do you recognize the names Barry Shenkarow or Marcel Aubut?
My point is that it may not make economic sense for the City of Nashville to try to save the Preds given the problems Leipold outlined in trying to make the team a success in the past.
As I understand it the City of Nashville is to get get a portion of the sale proceeds going to Leipold for previous investment and incentives. Is that correct?
Gumby
Registered User
OK, I looked some stuff up, as you suggested. The entire population of the province of Manitoba is roughly 1.1 mill. Now, given the size of Manitoba just how many of those 1.1 mill live close enough to realistically attend games? Now, of those how many can afford to plunk down the $50 bucks per person (that's being on the low side) to go to a game?
Now, Tennessee has roughly 5.5 mill people even thou it's prob maybe 20% the size of Manitoba. Now repeat the steps above.
Links;
http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo02a.htm
http://www.npg.org/states/tn.htm
Now if you really want to compare the economical differences in the two markets I can, but this is getting tiresome and I guarantee it won't be a pretty comparison for Winnipeg.
MAROONSRoad
f/k/a Ghost
Hamilton's arena is 17,500 but has virtually no luxury suites, a single, smallish concourse and is not, by all accounts, a viable NHL arena without major surgery.
The advantage of a Canadian franchise over KC is that there are a lot more hockey fans in Canada than in Kansas City. If TV viewership of hockey or number of registered hockey players per capita are good barometers of the number of hockey fans in the USA and Canada, you are looking at a 10 to 1 advantage in the Canadian market place, and that's being conservative.
GHOST
Jazz
Registered User
Are you purposefully misreading posts?
Generally wanting more teams in Canada if ok (ie expansion).
Wanting teams at the expense of other cities and blatantly making comments like "you don't deserve a team" is classless - simple.
Or not.
You have small market teams like Buffalo and Edmonton complaining that they cannot make a go of it at the upper end of the salary cap even with the new CBA and Nashville that looks to be in need of relocation.
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